Wavelet modelling of collinearity judgment error

Prior research has found that participants manifest complex profiles of error when they are asked to judge collinearity of stimulus elements. These studies used harmonic analysis to model the data, and found large departures from accurate collinear judgments, with the amplitude and specific angular position of departures from valid judgment varying from one participant to the next. The models appeared to be a composite of many large‐, medium‐ and small‐scale departures, but this could not be established with any certainty because of the global nature of harmonic model components. Wavelet modelling is better suited to answer the question of whether the error profile is produced by independent sources that vary in size and location. Here, we examined judgments of collinearity of dot pairs across 360° of angular position. A priori and post hoc wavelet modelling strategies were used to identify independent sources of error that could not be attributed to chance, and some new statistical protocols were applied. We found evidence of error sources at several levels of scale, and these results were confirmed by the application of cross‐validation methods that make no assumption about the nature of the error probability distribution.     

Psychological mechanisms underlying the Köhler motivation gain

Sometimes group work conditions lead to motivation gains rather than to social loafing. Two theoretical explanations for the K?hler motivation gain effect are identified, one stressing social comparison and a second stressing the indispensability of one's effort to the group. The results of three new experiments are reported. Experiment 1 suggested that both explanations are valid and contribute to the K?hler effect. Prior studies suggested that there might be gender differences in the relative importance of these two explanatory processes. Experiment 2 confirmed this suggestion. In Experiment 3, the gender difference was eliminated by priming women with a goal (viz., competition) presumed to be chronically more important to men. It is argued that the relative importance of these two motivational processes will depend on the immediate and chronic importance attached to more personal (viz., to achieve a favorable social comparison) versus collective (viz., to contribute to one's group) goals.     

Effectiveness of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

This study examined the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral intervention for young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). Four young adults were referred for the therapy by medical staff because of perceived problems with anxiety, anger, or coping. Treatment impact was assessed on measures of anxiety, anger, perceptions of functional disability, and coping. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used. Overall, the impact of the cognitive behavioral intervention for young adults with CF was mixed. If participants had elevated baseline scores on anxiety, anger, or perceived functional disability, then some improvement was shown. However, only one participant had elevated baseline anxiety and anger scores, while two had higher functional disability scores. For coping, only one participant clearly displayed a greater use of approach relative to avoidance coping by the end of treatment. Results are discussed in terms of treatment implications, assessment, and coping issues.     

The effects of college major and job field congruence on job satisfaction

This study investigated predictors of job satisfaction and builds on previous research on the effects of bachelor’s degree majors and job field congruence on job satisfaction. Data on workers’ job experiences in 2001 were matched to those workers’ college experiences across 30 institutions and background characteristics up to 25 years earlier. With statistical controls for demographic, socioeconomic, and academic characteristics, a final sample of 2515 college graduates was used to test hypotheses centered on the possibility that a causal order relates education and job satisfaction. Specifically, college degree majors, measures of both actual and perceived congruence, as well as income were examined in relation to three dimensions of job satisfaction. Results support hypotheses that income and congruence both mediate the effects of majors on job satisfaction, and identify that two different measures of congruence are causally related to intrinsic dimensions of job satisfaction.     

Shared targets for aggression by early adolescent friends

Similarity in early adolescent friends' general aggressiveness is well known, but questions remain regarding the degree to which friends aggress against the same victims. The authors examined this by administering the newly created Dyadic Aggression and Victimization Inventory to 417 sixth- through eighth-grade boys and girls (53%). Friends were found to share more targets for aggression than nonfriends, even after general levels of aggression were controlled (all ps < .05). Moreover, greater sharing of targets with friends relative to nonfriends was more pronounced among aggressive youths than nonaggressive youths, especially among aggressive youths' best friends relative to their other friends. Generally, these findings were similar across boys and girls as well as among older and younger youths. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Loudness adaptation: fact or artifact?

In the present study, the authors tested the hypothesis that contrast effects confound the Ipsilateral Comparison Paradigm (ICP). Bidirectional referents were used in which base tones of 50 or 70 dB alternated with referents of greater or lesser intensity in a 3.5-min listening period. The contrast hypothesis leads to the expectation that the bidirectional referents would produce opposing effects that should nullify time-based loudness changes in the common base tone. Contrary to that expectation, base-tone loudness declined significantly over time in the context of the bidirectional referents, and the loudness of the referents also declined significantly over time. Thus, the results of the study testified to the validity of the ICP as a contrast-free measure of broad-based loudness adaptation.     

Comparison of two alternative measures of the boundary construct

'Mental boundaries' is a traditional concept in psychology, although attempts to conceptualize and measure such boundaries empirically have only recently been pursued. Two major efforts in this respect are Hartmann's Boundary Questionnaire and the Revised Transliminality Scale of Lange, Thalbourne, Houran, and Storm. We administered both along with the Briggs-Nebes Handedness Scale to a convenience sample of 268 participants to assess the convergent validity of the two boundary measures and to replicate previous evidence that the boundary construct involves body boundaries as well, such as a tendency toward mixed-handedness. As predicted, scores on the Revised Transliminality Scale correlated .66 positively with total scores on the Boundary Questionnaire, but neither measure was associated with the handedness scale. Each of the 12 domains of the Boundary Questionnaire correlated significantly with total scores on the Transliminality Scale, yet only five domains contributed significantly to the prediction of variance in transliminality scores in a standard multiple regression analysis. Analysis suggests that transliminality is related to specific domains of the Boundary Questionnaire, and we hypothesize that the other domains of the Boundary Questionnaire represent higher levels of the boundary construct than what is measured by the Revised Transliminality Scale. This idea is discussed within the context of Werner's 1948 theory of syncretic versus symbolic cognition.     

Effects of perceived parental school support and family communication on delinquent behaviors in latinos and white non-latinos

The authors examined the roles of perceived parental school support and family communication in the context of delinquent behaviors in Mexican American and White non-Latino adolescents. Family communication was defined as the degree to which adolescents endorsed that they communicated with their parents about a variety of topics. The Parental School Support scale was administered to assess adolescents' perceptions of parental support for academic pursuits. Data analysis included the relationship between these variables and their predictive relationship to delinquency, and the relationship to gender and ethnicity. Results demonstrated that adolescents' perceptions of family communication and parental school support were related to the likelihood of committing delinquent acts. There were no significant differences in gender or ethnicity in perceived levels of family communication and parental school support.     

Observation distance and recognition of photographs of celebrities' faces

Subjects were tested to assess the distance at which they could recognize the faces of celebrities (more specifically, a set of 44 portrait photographs of movie and television actors). The set of test photographs was shown initially at a distance of 200 ft. and then closer in increments of 20 ft. When the actor in a given photograph was identified, either by name, character role, or by the movie or television show in which the actor had starred, the recognition-distance was recorded and the photograph was removed from the test set. Those which were not recognized (even at the closest distance) were not included in the data summaries or statistical analysis. In calculating recognition-distance for each photograph, the values were adjusted to reflect the distance at which recognition would have occurred if all the faces were of normal size. The upper limit for recognition, as defined by the distance above which only 10% of the faces are identified, was just over 160 ft. for women, and just under 200 ft. for men. There was also a significant difference in mean recognition distance between women and men. The large range of recognition-distance (across photographs and across subjects) argues that the distance is not controlled primarily by the feature detail provided in a given photograph or by the discrimination and recall skills of the observer. More likely it is a function of diverse memory associations, so that the distance at which each photograph is recognized will depend on such factors as frequency and recency of exposure, perceived attractiveness, and how much the subject admires the celebrity.